It Started With A Kiss
by cottongirl619
Summary: Having to live with your enemy is difficult, but it's even more complicated when you're unbelievably attracted to them. SoRiku, AkuRoku
1. Introductions

**Introductions.**

Sora's life fucking sucked.

Sora wasn't usually the one to whine and mope, but he couldn't help feeling this strong urge to feel sorry for himself. His father had left, his mom's had been fired from her job a couple days ago, and his new house (well it wasn't all that new, it was new to _him_) seemed to be about to collapse. Everything was going downhill. When had things taken a turn for the worse? He wasn't quite sure.

Sora rose from the cold tile floor, glancing out the window. His hand lingered towards the bottom of the cold glass, and then he harshly pulled up the window. Immediately, the sun's heat waves clashed into his skin. He breathed in the smell of the beach. The good thing about living on an island was that the beach was never too far away.

"Sora?" His mom's voice erupted suddenly inside the house, and he could hear her take off her shoes and drop her keys accidentally. She groaned slightly and then he heard the keys hit porcelain instead of tile. He immediately put on a smile.

"Yeah? How are you mom?" Sora's smile made his mother smile. Her hands reached up to her hair as she pulled back her bangs.

"Ah, same old same old. Look kiddo, I'm exhausted. I've been out looking for a job all day. You wouldn't mind making dinner, would you? Just make some rammen, I bought a bunch." Sora's mom plopped down on the old green couch, and Sora groaned.

"Fine…but you owe me!" Sora chuckled, and his mom grinned.

"Yeah, yeah." Sora quickly rushed over to the kitchen, and he began the process of heating some water. The stove clicked as he turned the knob, and as soon as it ignited, he lifted the dial to 8. He went to the pantry and quickly pulled out a couple tiny orange bags that said RAMMEN on them. He stood back up, and then suddenly his ear caught something peculiar. What was that noise? He quickly looked in the direction of the noise, and he saw that the water was sloshing inside of the pan he had placed on the stove. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Huh." Sora muttered to no one in particular, and walked towards the stove. Suddenly, a strong shake began to occur throughout the kitchen.

_Earthquake._

"MOM?" Sora screamed, running fast towards where she was. She was up on her feet, and as soon as she saw Sora she reached out her hand. To Sora, everything seemed to go in slow motion. The worst case scenario kept flashing in his head, and he grabbed her hand quickly and raced out of their house. The door was so close, he could almost feel it.

All too quickly, Sora found himself outside, staring at his house fall down to the floor. The shaking stopped, slowly but surely.

Everything was gone.

God had finally taken away everything humanly possible from him except his mom. Speaking of which…

"Sora, oh my…" His mom glanced up at the sky. Her dark brown hair was in a mess, and her eyes were black with anger. She had had enough.

"You know what, that place sucked anyhow. We'll find a new place." Sora's mom smiled, but Sora knew she was clearly lying. It was painfully obvious that she was on the edge of killing something.

"Mom…it's okay. You don't have to lie." Tifa looked up, her eyes glistening with tears of rage. She inhaled deeply, and then let it all out at once in a rush. She walked over to the ruins, throwing things here and there, attempting to let off some rage. Sora knew better than to interfere.

"Oh my! Sora, are you and your mother alright?" An old woman who was a foot shorter than Sora waddled over quickly to where he was. Sora smiled. Faking time.

"We're good!" Sora smiled, scrunching up his face and gave her a thumbs up. Sora attempted to divert the woman's gaze from his mother's current rampage.

"RAPE, PILLAGE AND BURN. RAPE, PILLAGE AND BURN." His mother picked up another chunk of debris and threw it towards the road, feet away from him and the old woman.

Oh wonderful. The neighbors would think greatly of their family now.

"Hey!" Sora said abruptly, interrupting the woman's stare. "So yeah, we're fine you should go back inside your house now." Sora grabbed the old woman's hand and then attempted to guide her with the other hand on her back towards her house. She continued to stare at Tifa over her shoulder.

"I SWEAR, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ME, COME DOWN AND DEAL WITH ME FACE TO FACE. UGH!" Tifa screamed at the sky, and then kicked something rather harshly.

Sora laughed awkwardly at the old woman, and he attempted to accelerate the speed he was going. She looked up at him, finally adverting her gaze from his mother.

"Sweetheart, I know you and your mother have gone through lots of hardships lately. But remain strong. Remember, everything happens for a reason." She smiled a genuine smile, and she quickly retreated into her house. "You're welcome to stay here for the night." She said, and Sora simply nodded.

_Everything happens for a reason…huh. I wish._

_

* * *

_

As fate should have it, Sora's house was literally the only house that had been damaged in the entire Island. Reporters gathered outside his house, as if he had discovered the cure to cancer. Sora and his mother were constantly questioned, and Sora's mom could barely take it, ignoring them all. She simply kept digging, trying to see if there was anything she could salvage. Sora just went to school, trying to forget the whole ordeal.

As soon as Sora arrived to school, people's eyes were attracted to him like a moth to the flame. He kept his head up, trying to ignore them, but he soon found it was unbelievably difficult to do so. As soon as he arrived at his locker he opened it up, and hid behind the dull green door. He sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Sora!"

Sora looked up, looking for his caller. Suddenly, a blonde haired boy was next to him, gasping for breath.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Thank God for that hair of yours! It's easy to spy anywhere." Sora grinned.

"Hey Roxas, how's it going?" Sora closed his locker door, a biology book hugged tightly to his side. Roxas looked up, angry.

"What the hell man, why didn't you answer your phone yesterday? I was worried sick about you! I saw the news. I can't believe that happened." Roxas was angry, but more than anything he seemed overly concerned. Sora grinned and arched his back, scratching the back of his neck.

"I lost my phone in the earthquake, sorry." Roxas was frowning, and then he placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Hey, if there's anything you need, tell me. I'm always here for you bro." Roxas smiled sympathetically, and Sora nodded. He knew that already, Roxas and him were the best of friends. Nothing could ever separate them.

"Ri-Ri-Riku…?" Sora and Roxas turned at the sound of the name.

There he was.

Although it might sound a bit exaggerated to those whose eyes have never grazed upon him, Riku was basically an angel allowed to walk the earth. In fact, his whole little clan of friends seemed to be unusually attractive. They were all praised by both sexes, and whenever they walked around they would constantly be seen. Aside from Riku, there was Axel, Cloud, Leon, and Demyx.

Axel was a young man with fiery red hair. His eyes were striking when you first saw them. They almost seemed to have an unusual glow. His attitude, however, didn't attract many. He was cynical and cocky, and it was known throughout the school Axel was not one to be trusted. One second you were friends, the next you're on the floor bleeding wondering what the hell happened.

Cloud was the typical mysterious boy. No one knew much about him, but everyone knew he had had a dark past. He had blonde hair and ice blue eyes. He wasn't necessarily a mean person, he was simply just reserved. He liked to be left alone to his thoughts. Leon, Cloud's best friend, was similar to him. However Leon had this warmth Cloud lacked. He was social and talked a lot to those he knew, but he was still very quiet around people he didn't trust yet. It took some time for him to openly speak to anyone. Both of them had graduated last year, but they were still often seen around town with the other three boys who were still in high school.

Demyx was most definitely the happiest of the bunch. Out of all of them he was the only one that seemed to enjoy life. He would constantly be smiling, and even though his bubble personality attracted many, no one dared come near him. Rumors had spread around the school that Demyx's happiness was simply a façade hiding what he really was underneath; a horrible, mean, cruel person.

And last but absolutely not least was Riku. Riku was unusual, for his head had gone gray at a very premature age. Not only that, but his eyes were an unusual blue green; they glowed underneath his dark lashes. He was also the leader of the group, often at the head of their pack when they moved from class to class. He was tall, just a little shorter than Axel, and he was also very strong. Riku was part of the blitzball team, a prestigious group only twelve people out of the entire school got to join. He was also the number one student in the entire school, and had even managed to break the record for highest score on the Island's standardized tests. It seemed Riku's only downfall was his attitude, which many people found cold and unnapealing. He would bark away anyone who even attempted to come close to him. How he had become friends with the other four was a mystery.

Sora quickly snapped back into reality, witnessing what was about to happen. The girl with the red hair was now staring up at the boy with gray hair, her face crimson with embarrassment. She pulled out a light pink card. It seemed to be a love letter.

Sora quickly understood what was about to happen.

"What is this?" Riku snarled, glancing down at the girl who was suddenly focusing her attention on the floor. He didn't move an inch from where he stood.

"Please just take it and read it, I-"

_**SLAP.**_

The pink note was ripped from the girl's hands. She looked up, horrified. She had realized her mistake too late.

Riku tore open the letter, and smiled down at the paper. He chuckled lightly, and then began reciting the note out loud.

"Dear Classmate. I know you may not know me, but I have always been attracted to you since the day I laid my eyes on you. You are perfect in every way." Riku paced back and forth a small distance as he spoke, mockery lacing his words. His voice was so charming, it was odd to hear him be cruel. The girl's eyes were wide open, terrified that her deepest thoughts and secrets were being spoken casually to a large crowd.

"I see you walking down the hallways and can't help but to glance your way, even for just a second. You're a wonderful guy, did you kno-"

"Please stop." The girl with the red hair said in a hushed tone. Her face turned an even darker shade of red, but this time it wasn't simply embarrassment that made her flushed, it was also anger.

"What?" Riku said, looking up from the note. His eyes fluttered open and closed, faking disbelief.

"That was personal. It was meant to be between you and me." The girl looked up, and then instantly regretted it as soon as she saw the wicked hatred in Riku's eyes. The boy's smile broadened, and he looked towards his friends.

"Guys, don't you want to hear the rest? This girl has wonderful writing abilities. I wouldn't want to be selfish and keep this all to myself." Riku bent down and whispered the last part in her ear, but loud enough for spectators to hear. Riku was a performer, Sora noticed. He was perfectly aware that everyone's eyes were on him and he took the advantage. Riku lifted the pink pastel colored paper to his face and continued his dirty work.

"Anyhow, the point of this letter is kind of silly-" Riku read in an animated form, wanting to hear laughter from the crowd.

"Stop." The girl whispered desperatley.

"But I just wanted to let you know, before we graduate-"

"Please!" The girl said louder.

"I'm in lov-"

"She said to stop, are you deaf or something?"

Silence suddenly filled the room. Riku looked up and his eyes instantly collided with Sora's.

For a second, Sora doubted himself. He wondered what had possessed him to do such a stupid thing. Sora's blue eyes grew wide with realization, and he looked at Roxas from the corner of his eye to see if he was as shocked as everyone else; he definitely was. Sora breathed in deep, and decided he had already spoken up, so he might as well stick to the program.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Riku stepped forward towards the brunette. Sora quickly noticed that the way Riku was moving towards him was similar to the way a lion approaches a gazelle before it devours it.

_Crap. Crap. Crap._

"Look just leave her alone." The brunette shot back a glare at the boy, and Riku grinned. He pinned Sora against a locker in one swift motion, allowing no room for the boy to fight back. His throat was suddenly very, very tight, the hand wrapped around him firm and unrelenting. Sora gasped, the shock overwhelming him.

"I believe I asked you a question." Riku's face was inches from his, and Sora gulped. Roxas decided to finally speak up.

"Leave him alone!" Roxas snarled, and Riku smirked at the blonde.

"You're both very feisty, aren't you? Well then, I'll show you what happens when you butt into something that isn't. Your. Business." With every pause, Riku tightened his grip on Sora. The boy's hands clawed up into Riku's and he kicked fiercely, desperatley attempting to find an opening so that he could escape. Roxas, sensing his friend needed help in a more _physical_ way, kicked Riku's shin fiercely. The white haired boy hissed in pain, and then growled a command at the red haired boy standing idly in the middle of the hallway.

"Axel, get him."

The redhead didn't question, in fact he followed the command almost automatically. Before Roxas even knew what was going on, he was on the floor pinned down, his cheeks pressed against the cold floor. A heavy weight pressed itself on Roxas' back, and he felt his arms being locked into place by two strong hands. Roxas looked up only to see red spikes and neon green eyes.

"Hey squirt, how's the weather down there?" Axel teased. Roxas groaned, squirming in every possible direction.

"This ain't a bull ride kid, so you better keep still." Axel whispered in the blonde's ear. Roxas looked up to see Sora, his face distorted in disgust. Suddenly attention was on the brunette once more.

"What's your name?" Riku questioned again.

"Sora." He choked out, gasping for air.

"Sora what?" Riku looked up at the brunette he held in the air with a menacing glare.

"Sora Nakamura." Sora's eyes squinted in pain, and he looked left and right. Where the hell were the teachers?

"Hmm, well then, _Sora Nakamura_, I suggest next time you only speak when spoken to. Got it?"

Sora just nodded his head furiously, anything to get the boys strong hold off of him. He didn't feel like putting up a fight anymore.

"Good. Lets go." Riku barked the command, and suddenly Sora landed on the cold floor with a loud _thump._ Breathing in all the air he could bear, Sora noticed quickly Riku was already turning the corner at the end of the hallway, lackeys following close behind.

"What a jerk." Roxas muttered, getting up off the floor. Sora's hand went up to his neck, almost as if to make sure it was still there. He glanced up to see Roxas' helping hand, and he quickly took it and stood up.

"Tell me about it." Sora looked the direction Riku had left, and rage welled inside of the brunette. Who gave that kid a right to be such an asshole anyway? He walked around like he owned the place. Where were his manners?

"Sora…Roxas…thank you so much." The redheaded girl walked over and hugged them both, smiling hesitantly. Sora simply smiled, waving off her thanks.

"It was nothin'." Sora said, and she grinned.

"Why you even like a douchebag like him is beyond me, Kairi." Roxas said, and Kairi simply looked down.

"I guess that's why they call it _falling _in love. You just kind of…trip. It really isn't your choice." Kairi smiled up at Roxas, but her eyes were filled with hurt. Roxas wrapped his arms around her, and she hugged him back, sobbing lightly into him.

"Ugh, this sucks…" Kairi's words we muffled under Roxas' shirt.

"Yeah, but it'll be okay. You'll find someone better. Trust me, there are lots of guys out there who are a million times better than him."

As Roxas comforted the young girl, Sora's thoughts drifted back to Riku. Sora was still rather angry at the boy, but he couldn't help but wonder why Riku was like that. He wandered to the usual cliché "I'm putting up a wall so no one knows who I really am," but he refused to believe his anger was really that one-dimensional.

Roxas pulled Sora back into reality.

"Hey, lets go to class alright?" Sora nodded, and walked over to where Roxas was, headed for their first class of the day.

His mind kept wandering towards Riku, but Sora quickly decided that it was pointless. It wasn't like Riku and him would ever speak again.

Right?

* * *

**Well there you have it, my first chapter. This story is based very lightly off of "It Started With A Kiss" but it's mostly headed in a completely different direction. As you can already tell, the story is pretty different. Sora isn't in love with Riku…yet. XD**

**Also, I know this chapter kind of sucked…keep reading, it gets better **

**Reviews POR FAVOR. It helps me realize how I can get better.  
**


	2. Fate

**Fate**

Sora walked home eagerly from school, allowing himself to breathe in the smells of the ocean. His school was two blocks away from the ocean, which made the walk home pleasant. Sora attempted to walk backwards sometimes, just so he could keep gazing towards where the beach's waves rumbled and settled, however, today was a rare day where Sora simply wanted to get home as quickly as possible, which he quickly remembered was no longer there. Sora was then instantly pissed off.

Lately, nothing had been going Sora's way. Today proved to be no different.

As he turned the corner on Nawahie Street, Sora kept pondering about today's events. Riku could honestly not stop racing through his head, possibly because the brunette was honestly intrigued by the boy. He could almost say he wanted to get to know the boy better.

"This is so dumb!" Sora muttered, kicking a rock. He sighed in defeat at how stupid it was. Did he think Riku was thinking about him right now too? Sora doubted it. In fact Sora thoroughly believed Riku was probably pummeling another innocent person to the ground right at this second. Sora grumbled.

"I'm not going to think about him anymore." The brunette stopped for a moment, raised his head and his chest and continued walking through Nawahie Street.

_Riku…You know what? I'm not going to think about Riku. I'm not going to think about Riku. I'm not going to think about Riku. I'm. Not. Going. To. Think. About. Riku._

Sora suddenly realized how thinking about not thinking about Riku was still, technically, thinking about Riku.

Sora looked up towards the sun and let out a loud gush of breath upwards towards his bangs. They moved up towards the sky, the air pressure allowing them to levitate for a fragment of a second.

"I'm not sure…" His mothers voice was suddenly in his ear, and Sora glanced in the direction where his house had previously been before. There stood his mother with some strange man with…gray hair?

_Riku…?_

Sora quickly moved sneakily towards where his mother was standing. He noticed the black car that was parked in front of his house, a giant angel on the front of the car. The teenage boy realized quickly that the car the man was driving was a Rolls Royce Phantom. This car was worth more than everything he owned combined, times twenty.

Sora walked over to the car sneakily, and hid behind it. He attempted to look at his mother and the mysterious gray haired person, but realized the giant angel attached to the luxury car was blocking his view. All Sora could do was listen.

"Look, I know you're just trying to be nice, and thank you, but I barely know you. It'd be a bit awkward." His mother's voice sounded hesitant. He heard the man sigh.

"Tifa, please. When I saw the news yesterday I really felt compelled to come help you. I know you're going through a tough time. Please. Let me." The man was strongly speaking his opinion, not hesitating for an instant.

"Alright…I've got to talk this over with my son though. I don't know, he might not be comfortable. Sora, come over here." Sora's eyes grew wide with shock. Was she speaking to him? But he was hiding…

"Yes, I know you're there, come over here." Sora hesitated but then stood up. His hand reached behind his back instinctively and he scratched his hair, smiling brightly at his mother.

"Sorry. How did you even know I was over here?" Sora questioned.

"Your hair. It's like not noticing an elephant in front of your house. Now come over here, I want you to meet someone." Sora walked over to where his mother was, the debris below his shuffling with every step he took. Finally Sora managed to get to where his mother was, glancing at the man whose face he couldn't see before.

"Sephiroth, this is my son, Sora." Sora stared at the man intently. The man named Sephiroth looked menacing at first sight, but as soon as he grinned it was as if all doubts about him washed away from Sora's mind. His eyes gleamed with happiness, and Sora smiled and nodded. They shook hands, and Sora noticed how unusually long his pin straight hair was. The breeze made the silver hair flow like a silk curtain.

"Sora, I've come here to assist you and your mother. I want you to move in with me." Sephiroth smiled, and Sora was taken aback, surprised. Move in? What…? He barely even knew the man.

"Kiddo, Sephiroth and I used to go to high school together." Tifa smiled gently, and Sora nodded. So _that's_ where she knew him from.

"So, would you accept my offer? I truly want to help you." Sora hesitated. Who was this guy, _really_? What would he gain from this?

"But…why would you want to help us?" Sora questioned. Sephiroth smiled.

"I did a lot of bad things when I was your age. I used to be quite cruel to many people…including your mother. But things have changed since then. I want to help. Take this as me making up for being an unfair person, once upon a time." Sephiroth explained. So, he wanted to redeem himself through him and his mother's unfortunate events?

"I know it may sound a bit…odd that I suddenly am reaching out to help. But trust me, my intentions are pure. There is more than enough for you two at my house."

Sora looked up at his mother. He couldn't see why not to take up his offer. If they felt uncomfortable at some point, they could just move out anyhow, and plus they did need the helping hand. Maybe this was God's way of saying sorry for all the horrible things he had forced him and his mother to go through.

_We literally have nothing to lose. _Sora thought.

"I think we should give him a chance mom. Plus, we _do_ need a place." Sora turned serious. Tifa sighed. She looked at her son, and then nodded.

"I guess we're going to take you up on that offer, Sephiroth." She said quietly, almost as if she was defeated. The silver haired man smiled.

"Alright. Well, let's get in the car, dinner should be done soon." Sora looked up towards the horizon, and noticed the sun was leaning towards the ground, indicating the day was soon to become night. Sora nodded and his mother walked towards the car.

"…excuse me…Sephiroth…?" Sora whispered. Sephiroth looked up with a gleam in his eyes.

"Yes, Sora?" Sora hesitated for a moment, but asked anyhow.

"This is a Phantom, right? She's beautiful." Sora pointed at the car.

"Oh yes, yes it is. It's my favorite car, I drive it everywhere. I won't even invest in a chauffer because I love driving it so much." Sora blew a low whistle as he touched the car affectionately.

"You can drive it if you like." Sora looked up, shocked. Drive?

"Yeah, no. Get in the car kiddo." Sora's mom opened the door in the back, and he frowned.

"Aww, please?"

"Haha, nice try."

"Fine!" Sora grumbled, and stomped over to the car like a five year old having a tantrum. He stepped inside, and Sephiroth walked beside the angry brunette.

"Watch this." Sephiroth said as he pushed a button that Sora hadn't noticed before. The car's doors closed by themselves, and then locked into place.

"That is so cool!" The brunette exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Sora touched everything in the car, amazed by the new surroundings. He had never been in a car this expensive. Hell, he hadn't been in a car in a long time. His mom carpooled with a friend to her previous job, and Sora simply walked to school and Roxas' house. The car reeked of leather, and for some reason Sora loved the smell.

"I suppose. I have many more cars at home, you're welcome to look at them. Although I wouldn't touch Riku's. He's a bit defensive about his car."

Sora suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Riku? No, it couldn't be! There were lots of people with the name Riku…right?

"I actually think that Riku goes to your school. Do you know him?" Sora's eyes grew wider. Coincidence? I think not.

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!_

"Riku? Huh. Yeah I know one Riku but I don't know if he's your son." Sora stuttered waving his hand nervously. This could not be happening.

"Huh. Well you'll meet him soon enough. He's my son, along with Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. They're great kids." Sephiroth was staring at the road as they turned many corners on their way to his house. Sora started hyperventilating.

"Sora?" His mom questioned. She could tell something wasn't right. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" Sora said, smiling in an unusual way. His mom gave him another confused stare before sitting back on her seat. Sora glanced outside his window. What was he going to do now? What if, as fate's cruel hands would have it, Sora ended up in Riku's house? Was he that unlucky? What if-

"Sora! What is wrong with you?"

"Huh? What?" Sora looked up. Sora noticed the car had stopped.

"We're here. Come on let's get out." Sora opened the car door, and looked at his surroundings. From the corner of his eye, he saw his mom with eyes wide open.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

His mom was absolutely right. The house, well more like mansion, was on top of a cliff that was surrounded by ocean. The house was mostly made out of windows, and he could see the inside of the house was just as white as the outside. Everything seemed to be sleek and modern. No words could describe how amazing the house was. Sora's jaw was on the floor.

This guy was_ loaded._

"Well," Sephiroth began, interrupting their amazed stares, "let me introduce you to my kids. Let's go inside, shall we?" Sora and his mother followed, their heads wandering every way. This whole thing had to be a dream, right? This house was amazing. Sora was surely dreaming.

"Let me introduce you to my youngest, Riku."

Cross that out, Sora wasn't in a dream. He was in a nightmare.

As he glanced up, Riku was standing in front of him and his mother, smiling.

_Smiling?_

Wait, what?

"Hello there, my name is Riku. I'm pleased to meet you." Riku smiled eagerly and shook his mother's hand. Sephiroth grinned.

"Riku, this is Sora. You two know each other right?" Riku nodded.

"Yes. We've recently become…close."

Sora knew what the hint in his tone meant.

"Oh really? Well that's wonderful. Riku, you wouldn't mind sharing a room with Sora tonight, right? The guest rooms are empty with no beds, and I know there's more than enough room on your couch. Tifa, let me show you around." Riku smiled.

"Of course! Come on Sora, I'll show you around too."

What the heck was Riku doing? He was smiling, being friendly…was this some sort of joke?

"Well, I'll let Riku show Sora his room. I'll call you two when dinner is ready. Tifa, let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight." Sephiroth moved on, his mother following behind him. Riku began walking upstairs without glancing at Sora once. The brunette simply stood there. Riku turned around slightly, his silhouette dark and mysterious.

"Hurry up." Riku said, his tone no longer friendly. Sora walked quickly towards him, and Riku continued walking up the stairs. Suddenly, he turned and stared at Sora in the angriest way possible. The brunette stepped back in fear.

"Listen, and listen well. I am not your babysitter, this does not make us friends, and I don't give a flying fuck about you, alright?"

Sora nodded slowly, a bit shocked at how quickly Riku's attitude changed. Riku turned back just as sharply, and continued up the long stairs. He led the brunette up to a hallway with four doors, two on the left, two on the right. The hallway was rather long, and at the end there was a window that went from the floor to the roof. The silver haired boy opened the first door to the left, and he heard a loud "What?" coming from the inside along with heavy rocker music.

"Sora, this is Loz. Loz this is Sora. Got it? Good." Sora looked at Loz for a moment, who was smiling. His hair was gray, just like his father's, except it was cropped short into a slight Mohawk. He nodded his head once in Sora's direction, and Sora smiled back, waving. Riku slammed the door shut.

"What the hell?" Sora slightly screamed. Riku grabbed Sora's arm fiercely, and Sora tried his best not to cry out in pain. Another door was open on the right side of the hallway, but this time it was silent inside.

"Yes?" He heard a voice say inside.

"Kadaj, Sora. Sora, Kadaj." Kadaj didn't smile like Loz did, and simply nodded as if he was receiving information. His hair was the same color as Riku's, but it only reached his shoulders. This time, Sora didn't even attempt to greet the brother he was being introduced to. Riku slammed that door shut quickly. Another walk down the long hallway lead Sora to another room, and Riku opened this one up fiercely as well.

"What now, Riku? I'm almost one hundred percent sure I did nothing to make you bitch and moan today."

Oh, so Riku's evil ways were not _totally _hidden in his family.

"Shut it, Yazoo. Here," Riku pushed Sora forward, and the boy winced. "This is Sora. Sora, this is Yazoo. Now we're done with introductions, let me show you my room." Sora grimaced as the tightness in his right arm thickened. What was Riku doing, taking his blood pressure?

"Oh, Sora eh? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Yazoo. You-" Riku slammed the door and practically ran to his room, the last room in the hallway to the right. Yazoo emerged from his room angry, his long silver hair making a curtain as he peeked his head out the door.

"Riku, this is not how we act around guests. Can't you be mature for once?" Riku shoved Sora in his room, and Sora yelped in surprise. He felt around for his arm, which had gone numb, and noticed a bright red that traced the outline of Riku's hand.

"Here is my room." Riku said with no particular emotion, and he waltzed over to what seemed to be a computer. Sora hated Riku, but one thing was for sure, he was as beautiful and as graceful as an angel was.

Sora stood for what seemed like forever in the entrance of the room. The first thing he noticed as he observed the room was that it was unusually bright. (How ironic for someone as dark and hateful as Riku.) The entire right side of the room was purely windows from head to toe. It seemed Riku used the windows as a whiteboard, because there was writing all over the windows. Not only that, but the room was big, easily the size of his old house's living room and kitchen combined. Riku's bed was carved into the floor, and it was practically at the same level as the wooden floor Sora was standing on.

Sora turned, and noticed a few love seats here and there, along with a few more couches. The TV that hung at the very front of the room was giant, and several shelves of books and DVDs were next to it. Sora stepped further inside the room, and his shoes made the first noise that had been in the room other than Riku's typing. Suddenly, Riku stopped.

"The white couch is also a bed. Take off the cushions, and take out the bed. The covers are in the closet over there." Riku pointed in the direction of five white doors, and then continued typing. Sora stared at Riku a little bit longer.

"Thanks." The brunette offered. Silence.

Sora walked over to the couch and began taking off the cushions, and then placed them to the side of the couch. He looked down, but didn't see any sort of handle to pull up the bed. Not wanting to bother the furious tiger on the other side of the room, Sora attempted to claw the bed out. The bed refused to budge.

"The button, to the left." Sora looked up, and saw Riku still typing away, not even so much as a glance in his direction. Sora lifted an eyebrow, but decided to look to the left of the couch. He saw the white button and pressed it, and automatically the sound of some sort of movement began to erupt from the couch. The bed popped out in a few seconds, and then there was silence in the room again. Sora put some sheets on the bed, and once the task was finished Sora laid down. It felt as if the bed hugged every curve in his body.

"This is the best!" Sora said, smiling and snuggling up onto the mattress after kicking off his sneakers. He closed his eyes, and sleep was suddenly a wonderful thought. He breathed in deeply, the scent radiating off the couch somehow familiar. Thoughts of today flashed in his mind, and he suddenly realized what the smell reminded him of. Of course it was Riku, he was in his room.

It was odd how earlier today the silver haired boy had almost killed him, and then right now he was about to be sleeping in the same room as him. Talk about irony.

Sora finally felt himself drift off into a mild sleep.

"Dinner time." Kadaj knocked on the door and then spoke, his words muffled by the door. Riku stood up from the computer, clicking one more thing with his mouse, and then left the room. Sora had, unfortunately, given up any power in his body, wanting suddenly very badly just to sleep. Ignoring the boy, he simply continued sleeping.

What seemed like seconds later to Sora but was probably some time later in reality, Riku walked back into the room. Sora didn't bother opening his eyes, but he did hear Riku balancing something and then placing it on a table near Sora. Riku shook Sora awake by kicking the bed, and the teenage boy stretched and yawned.

"What?" Sora groaned, flipping over. Riku looked unamused, and pointed towards what looked like a tray with food.

"Eat if you want to. If you don't, I don't care either. You can starve to death for all I care." Riku walked off, taking off his shirt as he walked. His chest was, of course, well sculpted. A six pack bulged out of his skin. Sora stood up, and his eyes wandered down towards the silver happy trail that appeared when Riku's arms were stretched above his head. Sora blushed.

"What?" Riku muttered angrily. His eyes were squinted with hate.

"Nothing. Thanks for the food." Similar to the last time Sora thanked him, Riku did not reply and simply continued doing what he was doing. Sora reached for the plate with fish and rice, and then picked up a fork next to it. He began eating.

Sora didn't even mind it was a little cold, it was probably the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life. He gobbled it up and then washed it down with the iced tea that was also placed on the tray, sighing happiness. His new house was amazing.

'_Well, except for the whole having to sleep in the same room with a psycho killer.' _Sora thought. '_But still!'_

Suddenly, something soft slapped him in the face. Sora looked down and saw some pajama bottoms. Looking up, he realized the silver haired boy was already sitting down on his bed.

"Thanks." He whispered.

Sora stood up and began undressing, taking off his red shirt and khaki pants. He slipped on the light blue plaid pajamas, and decided he didn't feel like putting on a shirt; he had always enjoyed sleeping with nothing covering his chest. Finally he sunk back down onto his bed, and let sleep overtake him once more.

* * *

Sora gasped as he felt himself fall off the bed, landing with a loud _thunk_ on the floor.

"What? What's going on? Who's there?" Sora stood up quickly, and then looked around. All he saw was a Riku laughing out loud.

"Time for school, kid." Riku said mockingly, and he walked out of the room fully dressed, ready for another day at school. Sora stood up and noticed there was a neat pile of new clothes for him on a chair next to him. He picked them up, and then walked over to the doors where he suspected the bathroom was. He opened one of the white doors.

Closet.

He opened the next door.

Closet.

He opened the other door.

Closet.

How many closets did he need?

Finally Sora opened the last door and to his delight, it led to the bathroom. He walked in, noticing how big and nice it was. There was a tub in the middle of the room, and then a couple of showers diagonally placed on either side of the large room. Two sinks were placed next to each shower.

"Hello, Sora."

The teenage boy yelped in surprise. Who was that?

Sora looked around the room, and then noticed Kadaj was standing next to him with only a towel wrapped around him.

"Oh hi…Kadaj, right?" Kadaj nodded and then walked towards one of the showers, slipping off his towel. Sora turned red.

"Riku and I share a bathroom. Feel free to continue your business, I don't mind." Kadaj stepped into the large shower and turned on the water. The sound of the water crashing into the floor made the awkwardness Sora felt die down.

The brunette quickly took off his clothes and stepped into the shower on the other side of the room, showering quickly to avoid having to meet Kadaj's face again.

* * *

"Sora, how did you sleep?" Tifa asked, and Sora nodded as he swallowed a piece of toast.

"Great!" Sora replied. Sephiroth smiled and continued reading his newspaper, and Tifa continued working in the kitchen. His mother, apparently, decided she wanted to help around the house as much as possible. Even though there were many maids already, she decided she had to do something to repay the favor.

"Hey Sora, what grade are you in?" Yazoo asked. Sora looked up, and found Yazoo on the other side of the room with a coffee in his hand.

"I'm a senior at Hala Kahiki High." Yazoo nodded, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Oh, so you must know Riku already by default. You'll be graduating together then?" Sora nodded, looking down at his plate. Riku was definitely an awkward topic for him.

"Hmm, I guess similar to your other classmates you aren't particularly fond of our Riku, correct?" Yazoo laughed lightly, the sound charming in every way.

"Yo, Yazoo, I'm ready. Let's hit the road." Loz ran into the dining room a skateboard held by his side. He picked up a piece of toast on the table and put it in his mouth, ruffling Sora's hair in the process, and then ran out. Yazoo followed calmly behind.

"Have a nice day, Sora." Yazoo said, smiling brightly. Sora nodded.

"You too!" He said, and Yazoo exited the room. Riku walked into the room moments later and then quickly stated "I'm headed for school." And exited as quickly as he possibly could.

"Riku." Sephiroth said, not looking up from his paper. Riku walked backwards towards the dining room, then looked at his dad. Sephiroth looked up from his paper.

"Give Sora a ride." Sephiroth did not ask, he simply stated. Sora looked back and forth between the two.

_Well, this is awkward._

"Sora, let's go. Now." Sora got up quickly and then walked out of the dining room, following closely behind Riku. They walked into what seemed like a garage, where there where ten cars lined up beside one another. The white haired teen clicked a button and then a loud noise was heard. Sora looked up, and he quickly noticed the garage door was creeping open. Looking back at Riku, he noticed he was stepping inside of a car that was silver and definitely expensive.

"Koenigsegg CCX?" Sora said out loud. Riku looked up at Sora, grinning like a mad man.

"Get ready for a bumpy ride."

* * *

**AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.**

**Chapter 2! Yep, I really honestly do hope you guys are enjoying this story thus far. It isn't particularly juicy at the moment, but I have lots and LOTS of romance and plot twists up ahead. Also, as you may have noticed, Sora is very smart when it comes to cars. You are correct, I made him car crazy. Also, all the cars mentioned in this story do exist. Look 'em up, they are badass.**

**Anyhow, review!**


	3. Helping Hand

**Helping Hand.**

It wasn't necessarily the fact that the car was going fast that made Sora press himself further into the red leather chair, but rather, it was the fact that the boy driving wasn't all too sane. Not only that, but everything outside seemed to be in a blur, and the noise that formed from going at such high velocities rang in Sora's ear painfully. Sora's head moved the slightest bit to see Riku's face, honestly curious to see if he was also crumbling in fear. However what he saw was that the white haired boy was not even frightened, in fact his smile was so wide it was almost verging onto laughter. Riku continued accelerating, and Sora could tell they were probably going at one hundred miles per hour, maybe even more. Sora finally decided to scream.

"R-R-Riku! S-s-top!" His words sounded like they were hitting a fan, each word constricted with fear. Riku looked at him and let out a loud laugh, then suddenly, the tires let out a loud screech. Sora felt himself levitate for a second, the seat belt that hugged his chest locking him in place. Discomfort filled the parts of his body where the red band pressed painfully to his skin, and he let out a scream of shock. Finally, the car completely halted to an abrupt stop. Sora heaved in large amounts of air, compensating for the lack of breathing he had done for the longest time.

"Ask and ye shall receive." Riku said with a smirk, and Sora looked at him, eyes wide with shock. Sora pressed one of his hands against the dash while the other pressed against the leather chair, and he sat at the edge of his seat. His chest rose quickly up and down, not being completely able to catch his breath.

"What the heck? You could have freaking killed us!" Sora yelled at Riku, not caring whether or not the white haired boy suddenly turned on him and actually did murder him on the spot. Riku continued laughing uncontrollably at Sora's expense, his hand reaching up to his face to try to control some of the laughter.

"Just take me to school." Sora said, and then crossed his arms in anger. Riku let out one more sprinkle of angel-like chuckles and then breathed in deep.

"Get out." Riku said. Sora turned his head towards his direction but didn't look his way. He had known living in harmony wouldn't last long, he just didn't expect Riku to be this cruel. They had been driving along a country road, and now they were just a few feet away from being within the city limits. Sora knew the walk from here to his school would be painfully long.

Sora opened the car door and stepped outside the sleek silver car, then closed the door lightly behind him. He began walking towards where he knew the city was.

"Sora." Riku called behind him, and Sora looked at him, his bright blue eyes shining in the morning light.

"If you tell anyone about your living arrangements, I'll make sure you regret it."

Sora nodded. The white haired boy sped away in his car, leaving the young brunette staring behind him. Sora wasted no time and continued walking on the side of the road, trying to find out how the hell he would get to school now.

* * *

"How nice of you to join us, Sora." His teacher mocked, and Sora sat down in the red chair next to a spiky haired blond.

"Where were you?" Roxas whispered, loud enough for Sora to hear but quiet enough for no one else to notice. Sora wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Out for a morning run. I kind of lost track of time." Sora didn't smile like he usually did, and Roxas stared at him in disbelief.

"Why aren't you telling me the truth?" He said, and Sora looked at him, finally gathering the energy to plaster on a fake smile.

"I am, I always have Roxas. You know that." Sora grinned, his cheeks still red from the long walk. Roxas nodded, still not quite believing him, but not wanting to press the subject further.

Sora had walked for God knows how long, roaming unknown streets. It wasn't until he had finally stumbled into a street he knew that he had realized exactly where he was, which was still a little far from his school. He let out his anger on random bits of trash sprawled on the street. How could Riku be so heartless? He was so sure they were finally getting along…and then bam, he threw him out. Sora was unbelievably upset.

"Sora, please pay attention." His teacher said, and he looked up at the woman with blond hair. She continued her lecture.

"Tests will be beginning very soon. Now I want you all to strive to be the best. In fact, why don't you set your goals to having the best grades in the entire school?" Random students let out a chuckle or laugh at the comment.

"Right, we could _totally _beat Riku. I mean he's only a genius, right?" A boy named Hayner said sarcastically, and he earned a few chuckles from the class. The teacher glared at him angrily.

"Although I am aware of how intelligent Riku is, I want you all to set your goals high." She walked up and down the rows of students, talking as she went.

"I think it'd be best if we set our standards low, that way if we do good everything will have gone better than expected!" A boy named Pence said, and the class let out a chorus of "Yeah!" and "He's right!" The teacher groaned, annoyed by how easily the students settled with average.

"I'll do it." Sora said out loud.

Everyone stared at the brunette. He stood up, looked around the classroom, and smirked deviously.

"I'll beat his score. It can't be _that_ hard." The students in his classroom realized Sora wasn't joking, and the room became quiet.

"Sora, you're kidding, right?" Roxas muttered under his breath, eyes darting back and forth. He tried to pull Sora back into his seat, but the brunette refused.

"Good for you, Sora! Let him be an example for all of you students!" said, and she grinned in approval.

"Dude, Riku doesn't like competition, y'know? You'll never beat him, y'know?" A rather buff tan boy pointed out. Sora's anger from this morning and yesterday suddenly welled up in his chest. Riku might intimidate these people, but Sora was no longer afraid of him…at least that's what he would like to believe.

"Let's just say I have a score to settle with that kid." Sora said, and he sat back down. He was fired up, and there was absolutely no way Sora was going to back down now.

* * *

"Are you out of your mind?" Roxas yelled at Sora, his hands shaking beside his head to emphasize his point. Sora looked at him.

"Roxas, it's okay, I can deal with it! Trust me, I'll be beating his butt in no time!" Roxas' eyes glared at Sora in a 'are you stupid' sort of stare, and he shook his head.

"Fine, whatever. I know once you decide something it's hard for you to back down. Just don't come crying to me when you're the laughing stock. Everyone is probably already talking about how you've challenged Riku." Roxas walked with Sora to the cafeteria, where everyone seemed to be minding their own business except for a couple few that were staring at Sora. Talking filled the room, and a few teens lined up to get their lunch. Sora went to the back of the line, Roxas munching on his home-brought lunch while he waited.

"Sora, what happened to your arm?" Roxas stared at Sora's arm, and Sora looked down to see what he was talking about. A big purple bruise in the trace of a hand was there. Sora quickly slapped his hand on top of it.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Sora, what the hell, why aren't you telling me the truth?" Roxas was getting angrier by the second. His blue eyes glared at Sora, and the brunette frowned.

"I can't, alright? Just drop it." Sora moved up in the moving lunch line, and Roxas sighed.

"Just remember, I'm always here for you Sora."

The teenage boy nodded. He had known that all along.

* * *

Five minutes after the school bell rang, Sora closed his locker door shut and continued walking towards the exit. He wasn't exactly sure how he would get home, but figured if he took enough buses he would eventually end up where he wanted to be. He turned left and then walked towards the exit at the end of the hallway, and he pulled it open with his right arm. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed a hold of his arm and dragged him away from the door towards outside, and Sora let out small yelp of surprise. Of course, the one grabbing a hold of him was no other than his _best friend_, Riku.

"Get your ass in the car quick." Riku muttered, his car right in front of them. Sora glared at him.

"How nice of you to give me a ride." Sora spat.

"You wanna walk home?" Riku growled, and Sora decided he did not want to go through the same ordeal as this morning. He slipped inside of the car, and placed his books on his lap, avoiding the gaze of the silver haired boy that followed into the car. The car sped off quickly, both of the boys ignoring each other completely. The silence was awkward, and normally Sora would want to offer some sort of small talk, but he wasn't exactly happy with the boy driving either.

As soon as they pulled up to Riku's house, Sora jumped out of the car and into the house. His mom heard him barge in, and she greeted him with a smile.

"Hey kiddo! How was school?" Tifa kissed the top of Sora's head affectionately, and the boy simply frowned and walked towards the long staircase.

"Fine." He muttered. Tifa stared behind Sora, shocked at her son's attitude. She hadn't seen Sora this mad since his father had left. Riku followed behind Sora, angry as well. What was going on?

"Don't bother. I bet Riku did something to provoke Sora, he tends to do that." Tifa stared at Yazoo who was currently sitting down in a red cushioned chair reading a TIME magazine, and he looked up to smile at the distressed mother.

"Really? Well I hope it's not too serious. I don't want your father kicking us out over something Sora did."

"Don't worry. If there's anyone he would kick out, it's Riku." Yazoo said no further, and continued reading his magazine quietly.

* * *

Sora stomped into Riku's room, picked up a pen from Riku's desk, and then walked back out, deciding that if he wanted to study he would do it anywhere but in that room. As he walked hurriedly towards the living room, Sora crashed into someone. His books went everywhere, and the brunette sighed in frustration. He bent over to pick up the books, and then let out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm kind of angry and I wasn't thinking." Sora said to whoever he had run into.

"Angry, why? Because I made you walk to school?"

Sora looked up, cursing his string of bad luck. Why did he keep running into this asshole? He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, now give me my book." Sora stood up, and reached for the book that Riku had caught in his arms. Riku raised it up in the air, and the brunette groaned, annoyed.

"Give me my book!" He yelled, no longer wanting to play his game. Riku smirked.

"Better study hard kid. I _am_ a genius after all." Sora smiled for a second and then frowned again instantly, ripping the book from his hand. Sora walked towards the backyard, wanting only to hear the waves crash against land.

* * *

"Riku, what is wrong with you?" Yazoo yelled like an angry parent, and Riku rolled his eyes.

"What? I didn't do anything." Riku rolled his chair from the writing covered window to his desk where he began writing down some information. Yazoo slammed his hand on the desk. Riku looked up, glaring.

"You know I'm not intimidated by you. Now stop being such a pain in the ass to him. This isn't like you. You're not even that big of an asshole to me, and I'm a big bitch to you non-stop. This kid has done nothing to you." Riku looked back down to his paper, writing down more things with his red pen.

"Is that all?" He said, no emotion in his voice. He didn't even bother looking up to say it to his brother's face.

"You think I don't know what you did this morning? Kadaj told me he saw him walking to school on his way to grab a bite for breakfast." Yazoo was honestly frustrated with his brother, and the fact he didn't seem to give a shit made Yazoo even more furious.

"Then why didn't _he _give him a ride?" Yazoo rubbed his temples with the index finger and thumb of his right hand, while his left hand leaned against the transparent desk. Was Riku playing stupid, or was he really that dumb?

"You know that's not the fucking point, Riku. I swear…you're like a hormonal teenage girl. Dinner is ready. Go get Sora, he's in the backyard…and apologize, or I will personally shove my shoe up your ass." Yazoo rolled his eyes and walked outside, knowing he had said all he could have said. It was all on Riku now.

* * *

"Trigonometry…oh God I'm going to die." Sora slammed his head on the white metal table, letting out a groan in the process. A nice table and chairs were placed in a small white gazebo right on the edge of the cliff where the house laid on, and water crashed below Sora constantly. He was surrounded by tall grass and plants, and had stumbled upon this place by pure chance. The smell of the ocean made Sora relax, but it sure as hell didn't help him understand math any better.

"The sine of the…wait what's a sine? Ugh I'm so lost!" Sora rubbed his head and closed his eyes. He breathed in deep, his muscles loosening as the salty smell filled him completely.

"Sine is opposite over hypotenuse. You don't even know that?" Sora looked up from his relaxation process, startled that anyone had found him.

"Oh…it's you. What, come to throw me off the cliff and see if I can swim to Canada?" Sora stared at the ocean, ignoring the silver haired boy that sat in the chair across from him.

"I could help." Riku said, and Sora looked at the boy and raised an eyebrow up.

"Right. Let me guess, another joke? I hope you aren't planning to become a comedian because you aren't funny." Sora turned again so that his back faced Riku. Riku's jaw clenched, but he sighed in defeat, deciding not to get angry.

"Whatever." He said, and stood up, his chair making a loud noise as it dragged on the wooden floor. Sora glanced over his shoulder, and watched the silver haired boy make his way to the mansion up ahead.

"Dinner's ready." He said blankly, and Sora continued gazing at the ocean. Why was Riku so cold one second and then so friendly to him the next? Was he playing some sort of game with him? Sora stood up and picked up his books, deciding it was best to just forget about it. He walked towards the mansion, stomach already growling.

* * *

"That was delicious!" Sora exclaimed, his belly visibly bigger than it had been fifteen minutes ago. Loz and him were the only ones left sitting in the long dining room table, many sorts of foods sprawled all over it. Loz smiled at Sora, his knife and fork up in the air.

"I know right? So good…your mom rocks in the kitchen area, bro." Sora chuckled at the comment.

"Hey, where's your dad?" Sora suddenly noticed Sephiroth wasn't here like he had been yesterday.

"Ah, naw man he barely ever catches dinner with us. Yesterday was sort of special 'cause it was a rare day when he ate with us." Loz let out a loud burp, and then stood up.

"Talk to you later man."

"Later." Sora called back, and then stood up as well. He put all the dishes that the brothers had left behind in the kitchen and then headed back up stairs to attempt to study some more.

When he entered the room, he noticed it was quiet and dark. Riku had already hit the hay apparently. Sora glanced over at a clock, which read _10:10 _in bright red digitized letters. He shrugged, not particularly caring whether the boy was awake or asleep and then walked over to his bed. He turned on a small lamp on a table near him and began studying.

Ten minutes into studying Math, Sora dropped down and stretched onto his bed like a starfish. He still didn't understand squat.

"Where was I when they taught this?" He half yelled, glancing down at his large Trig book.

"Probably snoring. You aren't good at paying attention to your surroundings." Riku's mocking laughter filled the room.

"I thought you were asleep." Sora called back towards where Riku was laying down. The silver haired boy chuckled.

"That's what I was trying to do. You're loud." Sora pursed his lips, and then sighed. The brunette couldn't be a jerk, it just wasn't in his blood.

"Sorry. I'll be quieter." Sora looked down and continued writing down random notes, the only noise in the room being his pencil tapping the notebook in his lap.

"What don't you get?" Riku questioned. Sora looked in the direction Riku was, and then looked back down to his paper. He sighed in defeat, deciding he would tell him even though he didn't particularly want to.

"Just the trigonometric function thing. It confuses me." Sora heard Riku turning on a light by his bed and then tossing his bed covers aside as he crawled out of bed. Standing up, he walked straight towards his window with a dry erase marker in hand. Riku glanced at Sora, and then focused his attention back at the window.

"Alright, listen, and listen well because I will only explain this once. If you don't get it, the you're screwed." Sora stared at the boy and then slowly understood, nodding his head. Riku sighed.

"A trigonometric function is one of the many functions that relate one non-right angle of a right triangle to the ratio of the lengths of any two sides of the triangle. A trigonometric function will be represented by open parentheses f closed parentheses. A function will satisfy one of these two equations…" Riku jotted down notes as he spoke, the white marker writing down letters big enough for Sora to see from where he was sitting. Quickly, the boy jotted down everything the silver haired boy explained. After about thirty minutes of teaching, Riku sighed, said he thought that was enough, and then plopped down on his bed without another word. The room was dark and silent again.

Although Sora's pride didn't want to admit it, the boy really _was _a genius. The way he explained things flowed so easily Sora understood quickly. Sora looked back down at his paper, happy he had learned something new today regardless of who he had learned it from, and then turned off the lamp that had been illuminating the room. He quickly laid down and closed his eyes, letting sleep wrap around his thoughts.

* * *

Days came and left, and finally the day of the tests arrived. Sora sat down on his desk, ready for anything. He had studied almost everyday, and Riku had helped him a lot too. As his teacher placed down his test on the light brown table, Sora took in a deep breath to calm himself. He thought of how it felt to sit on the edge of the cliff, waves crashing, the smell of salty water comforting him. He remembered Riku sitting next to him, pointing angrily to things that Sora didn't get right away and writing down important things on his large window. Sora grinned. He was ready.

After the test was over, Sora stretched every which way. He yawned happily, knowing he had done great on the test. He had known practically everything! He was so happy he could die. As he exited the testing room, his eye caught a hold of big blond spiky hair through the mass of students.

"Roxas!" Sora yelled behind his blond friend, and Roxas whipped his head around to look at him. Roxas waved, and stopped so that Sora could catch up with him.

"So how'd you do, ?" Sora slapped the back of Roxas' head jokingly, and Roxas pretended to be hurt.

"Be quiet." He said, laughing at Roxas' face. "I did pretty well, actually. How about you?"

"I did alright. Same old same old." Sora nodded, and began walking towards his locker to get his books out.

"Hey Sora, can we chill at your house this weekend? It's been a while since we hung out." Sora stared at the inside of his locker, his hand on the dull green door.

What do I say? I can't tell him…

"Oh, um, I can't this weekend." Sora said, and then slammed his locker shut. Roxas frowned, knowing Sora was keeping something from him.

"Look I know you said not to push it, but I thought you would be able to trust me! I'm your best friend! I wouldn't tell anyone." Roxas pouted with his hands clasped in front of his face, desperately wanting to know what Sora was keeping from him. Sora rolled his eyes and sighed.

"How many times do I have to go through this? I can't, sorry. I'll catch you later, okay?" Sora ran towards the back parking lot of the school, and Roxas sighed in defeat. He really was concerned for Sora. His thoughts were interrupted as someone called his name behind him.

"Hey there squirt!" Roxas felt a hand land on his head and then ruffle his blond spikes. Roxas rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"What do you want now, Axel?" Roxas had been dealing with the red head ever since the incident between Riku and Kairi, and although Roxas would like to believe he thoroughly hated the red head's presence, he actually felt the boy was growing on him. He craned his neck upwards so he could see the boy's eyes, which Roxas found were amazingly unique. He had never seen eyes glow like his.

"Aw, don't be a sourpuss Roxas. Hey, let's go get some ice cream, my treat." Roxas smiled, and shook his head.

"No."

"Why not?" Axel whined.

"I'm busy!"

"Come on, please? It's the last day I have free, after this I have blitz ball practice for the rest of the year. Please?" Axel bent down so his face was inches away from him, and pouted. Roxas looked at the boy, amused by how childish he could be, and then rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Roxas said, and walked towards where he knew the boy's car would be. He had already taken up his offer previously, since Roxas felt a little neglected by Sora and wanted someone to have fun with after school. Plus, he enjoyed the company Axel gave him, even though he could be an asshole sometimes. As Roxas opened the doors that lead to the parking lot, he heard Sora's voice.

_What is Sora still doing in school? I thought he had already left._

"Sora, stop playing around and get in the car!" Sora's laugh echoed in the almost empty parking lot. Roxas saw Sora stick out his tongue out playfully at someone, and then watched the boy slide into a silver sports car. The car then rumbled alive, and glided out of where it had been parked, speeding away.

"Roxas! God, you're fast. Let's go." Axel walked in the direction of his car, opening it on his way there with the small key chain controller. Roxas nodded, and then slipped into the red Ferrari. The roof above him began sliding backwards, the bright blue sky now visible when he looked up. Axel laughed as they sped away, and Roxas' mind drifted away from Sora as he threw his hands up, soaking in the sun's rays.

* * *

**NOTE: I have changed the rating to T because I decided it wasn't going to be headed in the M direction...although I might change it back, I have decided to keep it T for now.**

**Well, there you go. Chapter 3. Also, sorry if the whole trigonometry part of the story isn't accurate at all…I'm only in 10th grade. I don't know Trig aahaha. Anyhow this chapter shows how Riku is starting to feel sorry for being such an asshole, but HE CAN'T HELP IT. Aww it's okay Riku one day you'll understand why you're such a bitch. One day.**

**Also some Akuroku beginning to develop…so cute!**

**Alright, you know what to do. Please review. Even if it's just a "good job" it makes me work faster!**


	4. Results

**Results**

After a couple weeks of anxiously waiting, Sora finally saw that they had posted the results of the exams on the wall near the teacher's lounge. A mob of students were pushing and shoving, trying to see if they had passed or failed. Sora grabbed a hold of Roxas' hand and began shoving his way to the front of the mob.

"Sora! Ugh, this…ew it smells like dog sweat! You! Mind taking a shower?" Roxas commented as his face was forcibly moved into multiple people's armpits. Sora's grip tightened, even though his hand felt clammy with nervousness at finding out the results. His stomach did a summersault when he finally reached the front of the line of students yelling. Not caring about Roxas too much at the moment, he let go of the boy's hand, using it to search for his name.

Scores for DIST:

_Riku Utsukushii…300_

_Namine Heiwana.298_

_Rai Kenkō…..283_

_Sora Nakamura….275_

"Oh, so close! But so far away." Roxas teased, and Sora slapped him across the head. Roxas' smile turned into a pout as he rubbed his head vigorously.

"I really…I honestly thought I was going to do the best. Stupid Riku with his stupid scores and his stupid face." Sora mumbled angrily, finally managing to crawl back out of the swarm of students. He kicked something invisible, and Roxas patted him on the back trying to console him.

"Lets go Roxas." He sighed. Roxas followed, comforting Sora as they walked to their next class.

* * *

"Rikuuuu! What's up buddy?" Demyx appeared behind the silver haired boy and placed his hands on his shoulders. Riku turned to look at him, visibly annoyed.

"What do you want? Where's Axel?" Riku asked. He usually depended on Axel to keep Demyx on a leash, but lately Axel had been wandering around the school without them. Demyx shrugged, and then walked in front of Riku to face him.

"What are you doing here? You never look at the scores." He furrowed his eyebrows, bemused. Riku sighed and rolled his eyes, then put his hands in his pockets. What _was _he doing here? Demyx was right, Riku never gave a rat's ass about the scores, including his own. But here he was, trying to get a peek at the rankings.

"I'm curious." He said. He didn't want anyone to think that he was anything other than calm and collected. It wasn't like Riku to question himself.

"Here, let me help!" Before Riku could object, Demyx had already let out a loud whistle and brought attention to them both.

"Move away from the board, kids." Demyx stated. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and Riku went straight toward the board to look at the score. As he walked closer, people began to fill in the gaps that they had opened for the boy, curious to see what he was looking at. Small whispers were here and there, but Riku paid no attention to them. His finger raised to look at the top of the list, and as expected, his name was the first there.

He didn't know why, but his finger trailed down lower in the list, interested about something other than himself. He saw a couple names he didn't recognize, and then finally Sora's. His finger stayed there as he observed his name, and then he finally slipped his hand into his pocket. Fourth place? Was that the best he could do? Riku laughed lightly to himself, and then began walking towards his next class, Demyx following closely behind. Sora would just have to try harder next time.

* * *

"Fourth place?" Yazoo exclaimed, stunned. "I'm not sure what you're ashamed about, you got fourth place out of your entire senior class! That's fantastic!"

"I guess…but I wanted to beat Riku. That was the whole point." Sora dropped down on his bed, and Yazoo rolled his eyes. Sora had finally gotten his own room, which wasn't nearly as gigantic as Riku's but was still pretty ample. He had a king sized bed in the middle of the room, and also a dresser, a closet and his own private bathroom. His window's view was excellent too. He had a perfect view of the beach, and he had even placed a chair to face the window so that he could sit and stare for however long he wanted to. Riku had made fun of him, saying he was wasting his time, but Sora loved to sit by the long floor to roof window and stare. It was a wonderful feeling.

"So operation kick Riku's ass didn't work out. So what? Kick his ass in some other way." Yazoo took a sip of his green tea, and then stood up, an idea suddenly popping in his mind.

"I think I know just the thing." He said, and exited the room quickly. Sora stared behind him, craning his neck to see where he had gone. Quickly, Yazoo entered the room once again, this time with a stack of pictures.

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure this is foolproof." Yazoo said, smiling wickedly. Sora's eyebrow shot up, wondering what had gotten into Yazoo.

"Okay…?"

"Here. Look at these." Yazoo threw them on top of the bed, and Sora quickly reached out and picked a few up. They were old pictures, he concluded, because the clothing style in them was outdated and the pictures themselves seemed to be lower quality than modern day cameras. He thought Riku would be in these pictures, but instead there was only a cute little girl who appeared every time.

"This girl is pretty." Sora remarked, flipping to the next picture. Here the small girl was smiling eagerly by a pond, wearing a pink dress and a garden hat. Sora laughed, her expression very adorable.

"I know, right? Riku has always been the looker."

Sora looked up at the Yazoo, who snorted as soon as his eyes met Sora's. Sora looked back down at the pictures, then up at Yazoo, then back, then again.

"This…"

"Is Riku, yes."

"And he dressed like a little girl because…"

"Because our mother wanted a little girl and went on a shopping spree for only little girl's clothes when she was pregnant. Imagine her surprise when little Riku pops out, and he's a _boy_! It was simply devastating…she couldn't just throw away all her hard work and money! So for the first five years of his life, Riku was treated as a girl. Fantastic, right?" Yazoo laughed even harder, and Sora smiled, on the verge of laughing hysterically with him. This was _perfect._

"So you're telling me…"

"I didn't say anything." Yazoo said. He got up from the chair by the window and then walked out of the room, but stopped before leaving to say one more thing.

"Word from the wise: Riku is easily embarrassed. The balls on your side of the court now, kid." Yazoo finally left the room saying something about Riku never having any balls to begin with, and Sora stared at the pictures sprawled on his bed. Oh, he was going to love Yazoo _forever_ for this.

* * *

Riku was sitting on his computer chair, typing up his essay for English. He hadn't had time to finish it ever since blitz ball season began, although the task itself wasn't necessarily difficult. Axel lounged on his bed with Demyx while Cloud and Leon were sitting on his couch, talking about some professor they had in college.

"…not even listening. Riku!" Leon yelled, and Riku looked up from his desk.

"The hell is wrong with you? You haven't made a smart remark all day." Axel questioned, and Riku rolled his eyes.

"Please feel free to leave my house if you are uncomfortable." Riku stated, and went back to typing up his essay. It was true, Riku thought. He was unusually quiet. Usually he would have made fun of Axel twenty times by now, but right now Riku wasn't in the mood.

"I think he's in love." Demyx remarked, and everyone turned to look at him instantly.

"Our little Riku? IN LOVE? The clouds will begin raining blood any second now!" Axel cried, overly dramatic. Leon and Demyx laughed loudly, and Cloud snorted and looked up at the TV to see what the forecast for this week would be. Riku glared at Axel for a moment, and then focused his attention on Demyx.

"I am not in love." Riku muttered, glancing at the TV to see a small Asian woman reporting the weather. Apparently a heat wave was moving towards them, and their weather would change drastically by next Monday.

"Well, today Riku went up to the score board for the standardized tests for the first time ever, and it wasn't even to look up his own scores! He went to look at some kids…what was his name Riku?" Riku sighed loudly, and Demyx snapped his fingers, as if the words would come faster to him that way.

"S…Sana…Santana…Sara…Sora! Sora! That's right, I remember now." Axel's eyes widened, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"So our little Riku has a crush on Sora? The one you tried to beat up a few weeks ago?"

"Riku, I'm pretty sure that's not how you seduce someone."

"Would you guys shut up! I'm not in love! In fact I'm not even interested in _anyone_!" Riku yelled, getting up from his chair. He was so fueled up to fight all of the sudden, he didn't know why. He could feel his face heating up, ready to tackle the next person who made an idiotic remark.

"Denial is not just a river in Egypt, Riku-kins." Axel sang. Riku turned, ready to beat the living shit out of him.

"I wonder what this kid looks like." Leon said, his head propped up on the edge of the couch so he could look at what was happening behind him. Suddenly, the door opened and Sora was at the door, a few books in his hand. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"Speak of the devil." Demyx said through closed teeth.

"Riku, time for dinner." Sora said, and then closed the door again, looking around for a second at the new faces he saw.

"Is that him?" Cloud asked, and Demyx nodded speedily.

"Yeah! He's so cute, right?"

"Riku always knew how to pick 'em…" Leon rolled his eyes.

"Wait." Axel sat up in the bed, then stared at Riku who had retreated back to his desk and was now staring at a blank Word document, his left hand propping up his face.

"Why is he here?" Axel questioned, knowing Riku had not invited him over. Suddenly silence filled the room, and everyone realized they didn't know the answer either.

"He moved in a month ago. His horribly structured house fell down in an earthquake, and dad let him and his mom stay here…I don't know, I don't even talk to him." Riku said.

"What? Why didn't you mention this before?" Demyx crawled out of bed and kneeled in front of Riku, looking up at him like a sad dog begging for food. Riku glowered at Demyx.

"You didn't ask."

"Fine, be like that Riku!" Demyx pouted, and crawled over to Leon's side. Leon patted Demyx's head, saying something Riku couldn't fully understand but sounded like "good doggy." Riku stood up and walked out of the room.

"I'm hungry." The white haired boy exited the room, and everyone in the room looked at one another.

"Twenty buck says he'll be in his pants by next week." Axel grinned, following the boy to the dining room.

* * *

After a long awkward dinner, Axel, Demyx, Cloud, and Leon walked towards the entrance of the mansion, deeming their visit needed to come to a close. Sora waved goodbye as they all left in their expensive sports cars, and Axel told him something or other about using protection and not wearing Riku out too much because they needed to win the blitz ball game next Friday. Sora blushed, closed the door, and then watched as Riku began to make his way back upstairs.

"Riku?" Sora asked, his voice echoing in the empty hallway. Everyone had already gone to his or her room, and Riku and him were the only ones left downstairs.

"What?" Riku barked.

"Thank you. I've never been in the top 100 at school, much less top ten, and even though I didn't beat you-"

"Please, don't talk about it ever again. Just pretend it never happened. It doesn't change a thing." Riku continued climbing up the stairs. Sora was suddenly angry, why was he so cold to him all of the sudden? They had been doing well just yesterday, they hadn't fought at all…Sora thought they had finally gotten past that.

"Why…why do you do this? Why do you change your feelings? One moment you're a jerk, the next you're nice. Could you stop and make up your mind? Do you hate me or are we friends?" Sora felt foolish letting all these thoughts out into the open, but he wanted to stop this roller coaster. Riku was so indecisive when it came to how he felt about Sora, it made him furious. Why couldn't he just decide whether he liked or disliked him? He couldn't have it both ways.

Riku climbed back down the stairs and ran up to Sora, cornering him against a wall and pinning the brunette's arms up against it. Sora was paralyzed with fear. "We're not friends, so why do you act like this fucking matters? Look I don't give a shit about you, I only helped because I wanted to see if maybe you could actually rise up to the challenge and beat me, but you can't even fucking do _that_. I can promise you I won't be doing that again; it was a waste of my time."

"You're…you're such a fucking asshole!" Sora screamed at the boy. Riku was taken aback for a moment, having never heard Sora curse before, but then his stunned face broke into laughter.

"Kitty has claws!" He smirked derisively at the terrified boy, and Sora began to squirm away from Riku's hold. Riku slammed Sora against the wall, making the boy's head throb with the collision.

"It's only been a month, and you already think we're best friends?"

"I would never want to be best friends with someone like you." Sora hissed.

"Then why are you so angry? You're no different from everyone else, Sora. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel about me." Riku whispered the words in his ear, and Sora's face turned red. What was he talking about? What _did _Sora feel for the boy? His stomach churned.

"I don't care about you." Sora whispered, his voice not convincing at all. Riku pulled away from him, a cruel smile plastered on his face.

"Don't fall for me, Sora. It won't turn out the way you want it to, I can guarantee it." The silver haired boy walked up the stairs, not looking back. Sora's arms remained in the position Riku had forced them in, as he stood there, shocked. He slowly slid down to the floor, his palm finding his forehead. He breathed in deep, not sure whether to be fuming or upset.

Truth is, Sora was falling for Riku, he really was. He had noticed it a couple of weeks ago when they were studying. Whenever Riku was close to him, his chest exploded. He felt like butterflies invaded is stomach as soon as he saw his flawless face, even if it was angry or detached or totally unconcerned. He noticed the way he felt around him meant something inside of him was forming, like a bomb waiting to explode. He knew it meant he was screwed. He was falling for the bipolar douche bag he lived with and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do about it.

* * *

"Sora!" Roxas yelled, and the brunette turned his head around to look at the blond who ran behind him. Roxas caught up to where he was, and then stared angrily at Sora. Sora was ignoring him, _again._

"What the heck is wrong with you? You barely even talk to me anymore." Sora stared at Roxas. Sora was _tired. _He was so tired of having to lie to Roxas, when really all he wanted to do was tell him the plain truth. He wanted to complain to him about living with Riku, and laugh with him about how Loz was complete moron and how Kadaj creeped him out because sometimes the things he said were out of weird satanic books. Sora stared at Roxas, for a moment contemplating to tell him. The words were on the tip of his tongue, they were about to come out, and yet he couldn't force himself to say them.

"Roxas. Do you want to go eat some ice cream?"

"Not until you tell me what's been going on." Roxas whispered angrily.

"Roxas!" A voice erupted behind Sora, and he found Axel standing there smiling and waving at them both.

"Axel, right now is not the best time…"

"Sora, what's going on buddy? Tell your mom I say hi, the dinner last night was great. What was that, like some sort of pork?" Axel put his elbow on Sora's head, and then winked at Roxas, who was angrier than he had been ten minutes ago.

"You invited Axel over to your new house but not me, your best friend?" Roxas began walking away, furious at the news.

"Roxas it's not like that!" Sora ran after Roxas, picking up the pace when the blonde began to break into a light jog.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you!"

Roxas stopped, and finally turned to look at the exasperated brunette.

"I'm listening." Roxas said, tapping his foot impatiently.

"So you mean to tell me Roxas doesn't know you've been sleeping over at little Riku's for the past month? What kind of friend are you? Tsk, tsk, tsk." Axel bent over so he was face to face with both of them, sarcasm lacing every word. Roxas' jaw dropped to the floor, but he quickly turned angry instead.

"So you've been living with Riku? What the fuck, you couldn't tell me something as big as that? I'm…I'm done with you!" Roxas ran towards the school's entrance, wanting to get home as soon as possible. Sora knew it was no use trying to catch up with him now, Roxas wouldn't speak to him anytime soon.

"What the hell, Axel? I wanted to tell him myself!" Sora yelled at the redhead, who simply stood up straight and crossed his arms, acting confused.

"Hm, I could have sworn he would have taken it better." Axel remarked casually.

"What is your problem?" Sora growled.

"Hm, don't know. I wonder about that myself."

The boy shrugged and walked away, leaving Sora behind to rot.

* * *

**Chapter…four? Right? Right. Anyhow next chapter you'll learn why Riku is such a jerk as he begins taking his college entrance exams along with Sora! YAY! Also maybe I'll throw in some blitz ball action here and there, who knows.**

**Also I know I made Axel an asshole, that's because he's always depicted as the cool nice guy…when in reality, he's the guy who's scared of losing people he loves.**

**His motto is basically "If I can't have you, then nobody can!"**

**(LOL _NOBODY_ CAN...GET IT...NO...OK.)  
**

**I know this because I just finished playing 358/2 Days…it was fantastic. Won't ruin it, but I'll just say this: nobodies do too have hearts! (lololol Demyx) …Roxas' story is absolutely heartbreaking. I cried at the end, I _cried_. Even after I ruined the ending for myself.**

**CANNOT WAIT UNTIL BBS. COUNTDOWN: 27 DAYS. (I already ruined the ending for myself too, but I'll get emotional either way…plus the game is bound to be fantastic, I didn't wait three years for nothing!)**

**-carolina**


	5. Mistakes

**Mistakes**

It had been days since Riku and Sora talked. Lately, whenever Sora caught a glimpse of the white haired boy, he promptly turned and headed the opposite direction that Sora was going.

Sora had tried to make amends without prevail, and Riku insisted that they pretend like neither one existed. And, finally feeling like it was worthless trying to convince Riku to become his friend, Sora finally gave up on trying to force Riku into being kind to him. He would just have to make that decision himself.

Roxas was a lost hope as well. Sora saw him constantly with Axel, and the brunette assumed his best friends had likely already moved on.

Today was a sunny Tuesday morning, similar to all the days of the week. It was hot and slightly humid but the small winds that rolled by occasionally made it comfortable. Sora walked up to his locker, pulling at his tie so it would stop limiting the amount of breath he could take in. The lock clicked with every turn, until finally it creaked open.

Sora sighed, took out his Physics book, and promptly locked the door once more. He had really been under the weather lately, and people had started to notice. Sora turned around quickly and half screamed when he saw Kairi standing inches away from him. Sora let out a deep breath, relieved, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Jesus, Kairi…don't sneak up on me like that!" The red haired girl smiled up at him, her hands clasped in front of her face.

"Sorry! Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go get some ice cream, maybe?" Sora smiled at Kairi, not really knowing how to respond. He was really not in the mood, but then again he knew it wasn't healthy to stay in this state of depression forever.

"Sure."

"Hey, by the way, do you know what's up with Roxas? I've seen him hanging out with that asshole Axel a lot more than usual…" Sora looked up at Kairi, the pain of hearing his ex-best friend's name showing clearly in his eyes. Kairi furrowed her eyebrows in regret, having brought up the subject.

"I know you two had a fight…what even happened? Do you want to talk about it?" Sora shook his head. If anything, he wanted to forget it even happened.

"Alright…just know if you want to talk about it, I'm here, okay?"

Sora followed behind Kairi to the local ice cream store located only a couple of blocks away from his high school. The view from the store was fantastic, they could see the small island kids usually went to play on all the way from there. Sora ordered what he usually got, sea-salt ice cream, while Kairi opted for a sweeter strawberry kiwi blast. They sat down in one of the tables on the inside of the ice cream store, thinking their ice cream wouldn't last long in the heat.

"So…" Kairi muttered, probably thinking of a way to break the ice.

"Thanks for the ice cream." Sora smiled at her and shook his head.

"No problem, my treat." Sora said. Kairi licked her ice cream once more, staring outside of the windows. The waves crashed in a way that they could hear even though they were considerably far away from them.

"Do you know about the legend of the paopu fruit?"

"Yeah…well, sort of, only a few things." Kairi turned to look at Sora, her eyes turning a lighter shade with the sun's rays.

"They say that if you share it with someone else, your paths will always be connected. Your destinies will be intertwined for the rest of your lives.. In fact, that's why they call this group of islands Destiny Islands. It's because people hope that once they visit here and share that fruit with that special person, their destinies will be linked forever."

Sora stared at her for a moment, analyzing Kairi's words. Riku would have probably thought something like that was complete bullshit, but Sora would love to believe that it was true. Imagine, a fruit that will connect you with that one person you love forever. It was completely sappy, but at the same time, Sora thought it was amazingly beautiful.

"Do you have someone you want to share that fruit with?" Sora turned red at the question. Of course-well, sort of. Maybe. Not _really_.

"No." He answered, happy in his tone but obviously tired in his eyes.

"Oh…" Kairi's words trailed off, slightly disappointed for some odd reason. Sora felt the sea-salt ice cream melt and trickle down his hand.

"Do you?" Sora asked.

"No, but I'd like to." Kairi snapped a piece off of her waffle cone with her teeth. Sora smiled at her, the air suddenly tense once more.

"I'm sure we'll find that one special person one day…they might be right beside you for all you know, but you just don't notice. Love is just sort of weird like that." Kairi nodded.

"That's what scares me the most. Imagine finding out who you're in love with, who you're meant to be with, but just moments too late."

Sora shook his head.

"If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Paopu fruit or not." Kairi smiled.

"One can only hope."

* * *

"Woah, Riku, pick up the slack! What's wrong with you bro, you feelin' a little out of it?" Riku gave an angry look at Tidus, who smirked at him and patted him on the back. Lately he was complete shit when it came to blitzball, and everyone was noticing. Of course they would, he was one of the best players, aside from Tidus.

"Riku, what the hell is wrong with you?" Riku took off his wet suit, the air conditioning piercing tiny needles on his skin. He wrapped a white towel tightly around his waist.

"I'm fine." Was all he said. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Does it have to do with him? That Sora kid?" Riku shook his head.

"No, if anything I'm glad that brat stopped bothering me." Axel snorted.

"Boy, you are dumb with a capital D. Why can't you just admit it, you have a thing for the kid!" The silver haired boy walked slowly towards the showers, and hung his towel on a rack. The hot water pounded his chest, and Axel took the shower next to him. The redhead's hair clung to his face, and he pushed it out the way with long fingers.

"I am not interested in him. In fact, I'm not even interested in guys." Axel turned to look at Riku, and let out a loud chuckle that echoed around the shower room.

"You have got to be shitting me, really? Come on Riku, I know you better than that. Remember that one time, with Leon-"

"Could you shut up? Why the hell do you want me to go out with him anyhow? Why don't _you _date him?"

"Because that's not part of my plan." Axel grinned, his eyes closed shut as he craned his neck up towards the water. Riku raised an eyebrow. He knew Axel was up to no good.

"What now?"

"You know that Roxas kid?"

"Yes, the blond." Riku grabbed some soap and rubbed it on his chest. Axel pressed his hands against the wall in front of him, letting the water run down his back.

"Well, I've got my eyes on him. I've already taken Sora out of the picture, but I need you to _keep_ him out of the picture…permanently." Riku rolled his eyes, suddenly angry.

"Why the hell do you have to be so God damn cynical all the time? You can't even let them be friends because you've got a little crush on him?" Riku reached for the knob to turn off the shower, and then covered himself with his white towel once more. Axel did the same.

"You know how I am. It's either mine or no one's, got it memorized?" The red head followed closely behind Riku, his hair sprouting like a plant back to its original gravity defying state. Riku took off his towel and dried his hair, and then stuffed it inside of his bag. He pulled out his boxers and a pair of blue shorts and a red shirt and slipped them on.

"If you're worried about Sora being more than friends with Roxas, don't be."

"Oh really? And why do you say that?"

Riku didn't offer an answer, and simply picked up his duffel bag and headed out towards the student parking lot.

* * *

"Riku, you're taking the college entrance exams today, right?"

Sora looked up from his eggs to look at Kadaj. Riku nodded.

"D.I. Tech, right? Best college on the Islands." Loz tried to put in the forkful of meat in his mouth but instead missed and stabbed his cheek with his fork. Sora suppressed a laugh.

"Sora, where will you be attending next year?" Sephiroth asked. Sora thought about it for a moment.

"Well…I was thinking of maybe going to D.I Tech too." The man smiled.

"Riku will be applying for one of the colleges on the mainland, called Garden University. It's one of the best colleges in the world. He'll be studying to take over my business." Sora nodded, taking in the information. Of course Riku would go somewhere like that, his whole life he was smarter than everyone else. He would easily make it into the college, no doubt about it. And even then, Sora felt sad to hear Riku would be leaving and moving so far away.

"What college do Leon and Cloud attend, again?" Yazoo asked, sipping at his coffee.

"D.I. Tech." Riku replied. Something was off in his voice.

"Riku, you feelin' okay bro? Don't sound so hot."

"My head…it hurts. I think I'm coming down with a cold or something." Riku rubbed his temples, his eyes closing to try and help the pain.

"Here, let me give you something…" Yazoo began to run over to the kitchen, but then Sora stopped him.

"I have some stuff for the cold. It's in my backpack. I get sick easily so…" Sora fished out a light blue box of medicine from his bag, and then walked over and handed it to Riku. Riku ripped it from his hands and opened the box, popped one of the pills out of the silver foil covering, and then swallowed it down.

"I hope that medication won't make Riku drowsy." Kadaj commented casually. Sora's eyes widened, and Riku stared at Sora in disbelief.

"Don't tell me…"

Sora read the back of the box quickly, trying to find if one of the side effects was drowsiness. Age limits, don't take more than two, temporarily relieves common cold symptoms...

_**Do not operate heavy machinery or drive after taking this pill.**_

"Shit." Sora whined the word under his breath, and then looked up at Riku who was already furious.

"Stupid ass, I'm taking a test today! Now what am I supposed to do, I'll be passing out!" Riku stood up, screaming at Sora. The brunette winced.

"Riku, calm down! Don't be so rude, I've never seen you like this!" Sephiroth demanded, looking up from his paper. Riku stared at his father, then back at Sora. He took a deep breath and then picked up his school bag, painfully annoyed.

"I'll be going, now." Riku hissed, and began to walk towards the garage. Sora finally snapped back into reality and followed behind Riku, worried.

"I'll drive you to the pier, okay? I'm worried you won't make it there safe." Riku rolled his eyes.

"I can make it on my own without your help." His father stood up and walked over to Riku, who angrily stared down at him.

"Sora will be driving you, and that's that."

Riku glared at his dad for a moment, then continued walking to the garage, Sora following closely behind.

"The last time I saw Riku like that was when Yazoo accidentally let his pet bird free." Kadaj commented, and Loz nodded.

"Yeah, it's weird…that kid usually never loses his cool." Yazoo replied, then continued reading his book. Riku was acting weird ever since _he_ came into the picture, and Yazoo knew exactly why.

* * *

"Don't worry, I know how to drive stick." Sora stuck the car key inside of the silver Bougatti Veyron, and the engine quietly rumbled to life. Sora had never really driven a car, but he wasn't about to tell Riku that.

"If you crash this car, you better die along with it." Riku said angrily, and Sora nodded. If the crash didn't kill him, Riku sure as hell would.

Sora managed to pull out of the garage with no real problem, and then began the slow drive towards the pier across town. It would take thirty minutes at the most, but he knew the ride would seem twice as long because he was with Riku. Sora turned to the white haired boy for a moment, and then back at the road.

"So, why are you applying to Garden U? Axel and Demyx are going to D.I. Tech like everyone else…it really isn't a bad school…"

Sora's words trailed off as he realized Riku was not really paying attention to him. Sora sighed.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Riku?"

The boy rolled his eyes, as if amused by the question.

"It's not what I want to be, it's what I'm _supposed_ to be." Sora furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"Usually those are the same thing, aren't they? You want to be a singer, you're supposed to be a singer. You want to be a doctor, you're supposed to be a doctor."

"Not for me." Riku said, and Sora could hear the annoyance in his voice. Sora hesitated pushing his luck and asking something more, but he shook his head and decided he should.

"Why is that?"

"Because," Riku began, then sighed. He glanced outside his window, staring at nothing in particular. "Ever since I was born, my father has known exactly what he wants me to be. I was the one chosen to be the heir of his company, so that's what I'll be."

"You could always tell him you don't want to be…whatever it is your dad does." Riku laughed loudly.

"Have you met my father? Oh, no, you haven't. You've met what he pretends to be. He won't take no for an answer anymore. He took it from my three brothers, and I'm his last resort. I'm forced. They all had a choice- I sure as hell don't." The bitterness Riku felt towards his family was evident. He was obviously envious that they could go on and pursue what they wanted, while he was stuck onto his father's choice.

"What does your dad do?" Sora asked, and Riku shook his head.

"He owns a car company, Lotus." Sora nearly choked on his own spit when he realized that his father owned one of the most valuable companies in the world. Their cars were worth_ millions_. No wonder his family was dripping with money.

"Well, it can't be that bad, right?"

"Just hurry up and get me to the pier." Riku mumbled, and the car was silent once more. Sora thought about their conversation for the rest of the ride. Riku was being forced to go to this college so that he could become more capable to be something he did not want to become. His career was pre-set for him before he even had a choice, something his brothers didn't have to experience. Sora could only imagine how angry he'd be if he knew everyone around him was happy with their lives except him.

Sora began to slowly understand Riku's bitterness. Perhaps why he was so rude was because he knew his life would be filled with boring meetings and pointless hours dedicated to something he had absolutely no interest in. Sora frowned. Money didn't buy Riku happiness. It brought him the exact opposite.

"We're almost here." Sora announced. Riku didn't acknowledge the boy, he simply ignored him, apparently too busy with his own thoughts. Sora turned another corner, and then finally saw the boats that traveled to and from the island and the main land. Sora stopped, then turned to Riku, who had already begun to step out of the car.

"Riku…just know, whatever you end up being in life, don't let it drag you down. There's good and bad in everything, you just have to learn to pick out the good. Okay?" Riku turned to Sora, stared at him for a moment, and then turned back towards the pier.

Sora stared as Riku began to walk over to the ticket booth, but felt the boy was walking unusually slow. The brunette furrowed his eyebrows, concerned. What was happening? Something felt wrong…

Sora saw Riku turn, and then heard a few screams from behind him. He saw Riku's face turn from completely annoyed to pale and shocked. Wait, what was going on? Why was everyone scared?

Before Sora had a chance to turn, he felt the slam of heavy metal crash onto him. The noise was unbelievably loud, and he felt himself jolt backwards and then forwards. Pain shot through his chest as he felt the grip of his seatbelt tighten, and then he felt small pricks of pain rip through the back of his arms and his neck. Sora let out a scream, not really knowing what else to do.

Sora's life flashed before his eyes, from his fifth birthday party to his test that had happened just a few weeks ago. He closed his eyes shut, ready for death's cold fingers to wrap around his neck. He never thought he'd die like this.

And then, it was over.

Sora felt the car stop jerking in the direction of the impact, and then he breathed in deep, like a fish out of the water. His lungs stretched painfully.

Sora's hand reached towards the back of his neck instinctively, and then when he felt the sharpness of glass graze his fingers Sora's heart stopped. He looked down at his hand, which was covered in crimson blood, apparently pouring out of his hands, arms, and back quickly.

Sora could hear voices-all of them terrified. He tried to look up to see what was going on, but the second he tried to do that pain shot through every nerve in his body. Sora's eyes widened, and he stifled a scream. He heard the door on his side of the car swing open, and then he felt Riku's shaking hand reach for his face.

"Sora! Sora, listen to me! Shit…" Sora felt Riku's gently grab his wrist, searching for his pulse. Sora groaned.

"Riku…"

"Sora, talk to me, where does it hurt?" Riku reached up to move his hair out of his face, and Sora winced. It hurt everywhere. A tear trickled down Sora's face, burning the open wounds on his cheek. What was Riku still doing here? He had to go take the test, was all Sora could think. The boat would leave any moment now, and there wouldn't be another one until five o' clock.

"…the boat…you'll miss the boat…" Sora managed to say. He felt more people surrounding the car, their worried calls to 110 loud enough for Sora to understand.

"Get here quick, there's a boy…he looks about fifteen…"

"I'm not…fifteen….damn it…" Sora mumbled. He felt Riku wrap something around his arm tightly, and he could hear his pulse in his ears. Had he just been in a car crash? He didn't remember seeing a car…where had it come from?

"The ambulance is almost here, hang on…just hang on, okay? Keep talking, say anything, I'll stay here."

"The test…" Was all Sora could say before he felt too tired to say any more. He could feel the sticky blood running down his arms, making every movement painful. Sora could hear Riku roaring at people to move, then he felt his seatbelt being carefully removed. A man placed him carefully on a stretcher, and then he felt himself being propped into what he assumed was the ambulance. A familiar person sat close to him, although Sora was no longer able to decide who it was. White hair…Kadaj? Sephiroth?

"He's bleeding a lot."

"Call his parents."

"His neck is completely covered with glass."

"He can't lose more than this, he'll die."

"It's a good thing you wrapped his arm with your sleeve."

"Sora, can you hear me? Please, just stay with me for a little longer…"

Then, darkness.

* * *

**And CHAPTER FIVE! Why did this chapter come out so fast? IT'S BECAUSE I HAVE A PLOT CHART. No, really. I do. I'm trying this new thing where I have the story planned out BEFORE I write it…yeah, not a horrible idea I might add. I've half-assed too many stories in my lifetime to let this one die like the other ones. I WILL FINISH THIS STORY. I PROMISE...SORT OF.**

**So here is the _first _climax of the story...I was really inspired when I wrote this because today I re-found my passion for listening to my iPod for long periods of time...  
**

**In other news, still counting down 'till BBS. HELL YEAH.**

**Thanks for reading! Review!**

**-carolina**


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